Chelydra serpentina
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) is a species of large, freshwater turtles in the family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far east as Nova Scotia, and Florida. The present-day C. serpentina population in the Middle Rio Grande suggests that the common snapping turtle has been present in this drainage since at least the 17th century and is likely native. The three species of Chelydra and the larger alligator snapping turtles (genus Macrochelys) are the only extant chelydrids, a family now restricted to the Americas. The common snapping turtle, as its name implies, is the most widespread.
The common snapping turtle is noted for its combative disposition when out of the water, with its powerful, beak-like jaws, and highly mobile head and neck (hence the specific epithet serpentina, meaning "snake-like"). In water, it is likely to flee and hide underwater in sediment. The common snapping turtle has a life-history strategy characterized by high and variable mortality of embryos and hatchlings, delayed sexual maturity, extended adult longevity, and iteroparity (repeated reproductive events) with low reproductive success per reproductive event.
Females, and presumably also males, in more northern populations mature later (at 15–20 years) and at a larger size than in more southern populations (about 12 years). Lifespan in the wild is poorly known, but long-term mark-recapture data from Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada, suggest a maximum age over 100 years. Wikipedia →
Recording0:03
United States · 2026
© Cindy Wulff · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Congaree National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Point Pelee National Park | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Big Cypress National Preserve | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Acadia National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Everglades National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Shenandoah National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Minneapolis [Saint Paul] | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Detroit | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Toronto | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 5 | Austin | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Baltimore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Dallas | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Boston | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Philadelphia | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Denver | 🇺🇸 United States |
No species of the same family or order lives in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snapping Turtle sighting in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 33rd most-seen of the 35 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March, September–October and December–January
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Snapping Turtle in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge on a given day, against under 5% in February, April–August and November, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Snapping Turtle sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
8th of 8
Of the 8 parks where we can rate Snapping Turtle sightings, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ranks 8th at about 10%. The best odds are in Congaree National Park (United States, about 40%), Point Pelee National Park (Canada, about 40%) and Big Cypress National Preserve (United States, about 30%). All parks ranked.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Snapping Turtle is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
